MONMOUTHSHIRE'S residents recognise that our lovely county really is a very special place and this has been confirmed following the publication of recent research.

Its data indicates that Monmouthshire has the most vibrant economy of any Welsh local authority area.

The Vibrant Economy Index is published by independent consultants Grant Thornton and rates the economy by measuring financial growth and economic return as well as a wider set of characteristics.

The index examines six socio-economic indicators in all 22 Welsh local authority areas and provides a measure of the area’s vibrancy.

The six categories under the spotlight are prosperity, dynamism and opportunity, inclusion and equality, health, wellbeing and happiness, resilience and sustainability, and finally, community, trust and belonging.

Monmouthshire ranks highly in these categories.

It is regarded as a prosperous county with an economy that produces wealth, creates jobs and is entrepreneurial and innovative.

Its people possess the skills to drive further growth with a high level of health and activity that leads to fulfilled lives, increasing individual prospects.

Furthermore, Monmouthshire has a resilient and green environment with vibrant, active and safe communities.

We’ve constantly featured in the top two Welsh local authority areas over the past five years and the council combines with businesses, communities, other public sector organisations and the third sector to maintain this position.

Our over-arching purpose is to build sustainable and resilient communities, with examples being our investment in new secondary schools in Monmouth and Caldicot, our integrated partnership with health agencies to combat loneliness and keep people well, the provision of locally-accessible services and a focus on social justice.

We work with volunteers who add real value to our public services.

In addition, we aim to provide quality housing to meet the needs of our communities, to ensure no one is left behind and to capitalise on the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal to maximise our economic potential and prosperity.

Proof that Monmouthshire is a great place to do business is our acquisition of Caldicot’s CastleGate Business Park in September, supplementing recent ventures like the establishment of a solar farm near Crick.

We’ve maintained our enviable record as an economically vibrant area even though we consistently receive less money per capita from the Welsh Government than any other authority, and as a largely rural county we do not enjoy the economies of scale that benefit urban councils.

Despite these difficulties, I am sure we will continue to strive with our communities to develop innovative solutions, improve well-being and deliver a buoyant, confident future.

Monmouthshire deserves nothing less.